Vehicle windshield washer systems have long been employed and are now generally considered as safety equipment needed by every vehicle. Such washer systems require the use of a substantial quantity of washer fluid which necessitates fairly large size reservoir apparatus.
A more recent phenomia is the substantial increase in vehicle underhood temperatures generally associated with exhaust emission control apparatus such as the air pump and catalytic converter. The higher temperatures in turn have had a decided detrimental effect on storage battery life, as generally the vehicle battery is located in the engine compartment immediately adjacent the engine where it is directly exposed to the engine manifold. In the desire to provide longer battery life and improve customer satisfaction, a heat shield is sometimes utilized which is placed around the battery to help prevent excessive battery temperature build-up. The battery shield itself, however, is a relatively large device and it, along with the windshield washer reservoir, take up a substantial amount of underhood space, a location where space is at a premium.